This Is What A 1987 Soviet Invasion Of Western Europe Could Have Looked Like

The Lun-class Soviet Ekranoplane was a marvel of late 20th century technological prowess and the Soviets’ considered it an integral part of their colossal military machine.I stumbled upon these pictures back in January when aviation blogger Igor113 posted them to Live Journal, but thought they deserved to be looked at again.

Maybe it was joining the Navy on an amphibious assault craft in May, or pondering the naval developments in the Persian Gulf for most of today, but something about this vessel implies the past is just a step away and maybe serves as a reminder to not take too much, too seriously.

I like it and this is what I wrote about it early this year: Equipped with nuclear warheads and able to blast across the sea at 340 mph, the Lun-class Ekranoplane; part plane, part boat, and part hovercraft — is a Ground Effect Vehicle (GEV).

A GEV takes advantage of an aeronautical effect that allows it to lift off with an immense amount of weight, but limits its flight to 16 feet above the waves. Its altitude can never be greater than its wingspan.

Think of a large seabird, like a pelican, cruising inches from the water and not needing to flap its wings.

The only complete Ekranoplane now sits on the shores of the Caspian Sea.

While there is talk of refitting the Lun-class and getting the GEV back in the fleet, it’s now rusting away, and was spotted by aviation blogger Igor113 who posted these pictures to his blog.

The Lun-class Ekranoplane was used by the Soviet Navy from 1987 to the late 1990s

Nearly 243 feet long, almost as big as the Spruce Goose, the Lun is a ground effect aircraft that can only fly near the surface of the sea

Eight turbofans producing 28,600 pounds of thrust apiece are mounted at the nose of the aircraft

It was built for anti-surface warfare in case of a European invasion or an unexpected attack from NATO forces